This is Bristol --

A MAN who had a love rival arrested by claiming he had planted a terrorist bomb in the Bristol branch of Ikea has been jailed.

As a result of Ayman Ibrahim's hoax call, innocent Bartosz Ociepka, of Barton Hill, spent New Year's night in a police cell, a court heard.

Ibrahim, 46, right, of Dover, had denied a charge of communicating false information with intent in December 2011.

But he was convicted by a jury and was jailed for two years and nine months yesterday by Judge William Hart.

Gloucester Crown Court heard Ibrahim was caught because he used his own phone to make the hoax call and his number was traced by police.

The judge told him: "Mr Ociepka was a completely innocent man.

"He was kept in custody from 5.50pm on New Year's Eve to 12.30am on New Year's Day after being arrested for a very serious offence.

"It must have caused him great anxiety even though he knew it was nothing to do with him."

The judge said he was satisfied Ibrahim framed Mr Ociepka because he did not approve of his estranged wife, who had moved to Hengrove, having a relationship with him.

"He was the target of your criminal behaviour but the other target was Ikea and, because of the hoax, the police," said the judge.

"This was a deliberate and calculated piece of criminality by you with the one fatal flaw – that you used your own phone to make the call."

Ibrahim had claimed to the jury that he genuinely believed Mr Ociepka was going to bomb the Eastville store – a defence described by the judge as "wholly incredible".

Ibrahim was walking on crutches when he attended court. His barrister, Holly Webb, said he had recently undergone a knee operation and his condition would make prison more difficult for him than for a fit defendant.

She urged the judge to consider passing a suspended sentence.

During the trial the jury heard that Ibrahim phoned up the Swedish furniture seller's national call centre in Peterborough and claimed to be a Bristol café owner who had overheard Russian customers plotting the bombing.

Police swooped on the Eastville store, as well as the homes of Mr Ociepka and Ibrahim's ex-wife Maria Wierzbicka but no bomb or bomb-making equipment was found after a thorough search by sniffer dogs.

Ikea call centre manager Karen Chamberlain told the court that she spoke to Ibrahim and he suggested the bomb had been planted as part of a campaign against Ikea which had seen bombings in Belgium, Germany and Poland.

Ms Wierzbicka told the jury she and her husband had split in 2008 and she had a relationship with Mr Ociepka, which broke up in the summer of 2011.

She said Ibrahim had vowed to get Mr Ociepka deported. Reported by This is 6 hours ago.

Patch Twinsburg, OH --

The Twinsburg School Board honored its new retirees Wednesday night.

Superintendent Kathi Powers said that the retires have more than 350 years of combined experience.

"It is a privelege and an honor to say they are my colleages," she said. "They have the heart and soul of the best educators you can find anywhere."

Congratulations to the retirees:

· Harry Bendzuck: 29 years
· Bonny Cairns: 13 years
· Marie Cavotta: 15 years
· Cinda Dehner: 14 years
· Jeff Funk: 28 years
· Sonya Grant: 10 years
· Mike Hasinski: 34 years
· Judy Henning: 34 years
· Rosanna Knox: 27 years
· Carol Pozuc: 28 years
· Maria Raczka: 35 years
· Dave Rowbotham: 22 years
· Lois Seide: 5 years
· Kim Sevier: 34 years
· Sue Vagi: 28 years Reported by Patch 4 hours ago.

Second seed Maria Sharapova, winner of the last two editions, started with a defeat of Spain's Garbine Muguruza at the Rome Masters. Reported by News24 4 hours ago.

Patch Peekskill-Cortlandt, NY --

On May 21, Peekskill voters will vote on a $78.4 million budget proposal and  Reported by Patch 3 hours ago.

An annual audit revealed zero negative findings and unconditional approval of the registration.

Pittsburgh, PA (PRWEB) May 16, 2013

Auditors Dale Gabauer and Maria Kingston concluded their ISO 14001 environmental annual visit to AIReS today, revealing the organization has passed with no negative findings and unconditional continued approval.

The auditors inspected AIReS’ program and environmental savings results over two days with AIReS’ Quality Manager Laura May Carmack. The auditors were shown new increased efficiencies that have generated green results for AIReS including the automated ASSIST, Manager's ASSIST, and eLearning modules for all staff. These projects continue to save many environmental resources for the company.

Ms. Carmack said, “A big thank you this year goes out to our Corporate Information Systems department and Corporate Trainer Michelle McPeak, who jointly developed our company’s new eLearning modules.” The new modules cover varying facets and levels of AIReS’ business and eliminate the need for expensive travel and meeting time often related with large trainings.

AIReS first achieved ISO 14001 registration in 2007 and continues a long streak of zero negative findings. Reported by PRWeb 3 hours ago.

Chef Maria Loi's motto is "the past is the future." She stopped by the CBS 2 studios to cook up a classic dish you'll want to try. Reported by CBS 2 23 hours ago.

Patch Crofton, MD --

South River High School has released the names of students who earned honor roll and principal's honor roll for the third marking period of the school year.

*Grade 9 Principal's Honor Roll:* Riyadh Ali, Audrey Blumenfeld, Randall Bowers, Amanda Brownlee, Travis Bucknall, Olivia Bunting, Gabriel Campbell, Erica DeVito, Gregory D'Onofrio, Emma Gregory, Tyger Hanback, Andrew Harvan, Megan Hayden, Eric Hoffmann, Casey Jackson, Eric Janowitz, Kaitlyn Kelly, Grayson Kelmer, Nicholas Koziolek, John Krolak, Alexander Laurel, Julia LeDane, Kathryn LeGrand, Kelly Longo, Victoria Marinzel, Connor McDermott, Hugh McMullen, Christine Miles, Hannah Mulvaney, Clay Newman, Miahnna Nguyen, Maria Osborn, Samantha Park, Ryan Peacock, Nicholas Perkins, Brooke Porter, Emily Proctor, Alyssa Quinn, Allison Raines, Daniel Ricci, George Roberts, Jonghyun Roh, Joseph Rostock, Olivia Sadka, Isabella Schenk, Liam Scott, Patrick Shields, Brianna Simmons, Nicholas Spagnuolo, Jason Spalding, , Mitchell Spalding, Loren Suite, Madeline Szanyi, Emily Thomas, Thomas Trunnell, Francesca Vertucci, Patrick Watson, Eleanor Wood

*Grade: 9 Honor Roll:* Kevin Adair, Alexandra Adams, Sally Albright, George Alexander, Austin Baeza, Mason Baird, Jenna Barber, Madeline Battista, Luke Bausum, Margarette Bechtold, Vincent Bedessem, Ruby Bell, Blake Bender, Joshua Berger, Cullen Bilger, Kirby Bilyeu, Gavin Blair, Caitlin Blanche, Julia Blandford, Robert Blandford, , Philip Blevins, Jackson Blue, Lauren Bounds, Ashlee Brennan, Joseph Brocato, Jonathan Brodt, Jordan Brooks, Benjamin Brown, Alexis Brownlee, Sarah Butters, Madison Callahan, Boomer Callaway, Russell Cameron, Elise Carmichael, Preston Carter, Dominic Cass, Kristen Castle, Hans Cave-Hawkins, Joshua Chase, Arjun Cheema, Margaret Chen, Samuel Clemens, Morgan Clementson, Katherine Collins, Taylor Cooper, Zachary Corley, Bethany Cosgrove, Chloe Courtade, Kayla Creek, Hannah Creighton, Alexander Creswell, Gwenyth Crew, Haley Cromwell, Hannah Cromwell, Lena Cuevas, Breia Cummings, Hannah Cunningham, Emily D'Ambra, Julia Daniel, Caroline Davis, Nicholas Davis, Jonathan DeRycke, Sarah DeVol, Kristina Dick, Karynne Doherty, Jenna Donovan, Mikaela Dooley, Ryan Dorsey, Kelly Dougherty, Robert Dover, Kristina Edwards, Mathew Egley, , Steven Emminizer, Sarah Erteschik, Madelyn Esparza-Ramirez, Alyssa Espeut, Andrea Esquetini, Kelsey Eure, Anthony Facchina, Ethan Falsone, Max Farcot, Matthew Fenton, Kali Ferguson, Molly Finnan, Katherine Fitch, Jake Flaherty, John Flanagan, Gabriella Flores, Casey Flynn, Elizabeth Foster, Trenton Foster, Austin Gaines, Ashton Gardner, Bret Garey, Abigail Geiman, Joseph Gibbs, Sarah Gillogly, Connor Gray, Charles Greenwell, Cheyanne Groves, Fallon Haley, Shannon Harrar, Luke Hartley, Kaleb Hayward, Kyle Heffner, Justin Henderson, Savana Herndon, Jacob Hirschmann, Edmund Horsch, Lilly Huijboom, Henry Hutcheson, Gwendolyn Inman, Jaret Izumi, Brendan Jackson, Amanda Jones, Amber Jordan, Dylan Jordan, Loretta Jorden, Megan Keller, Danicka Kelsey, Kelly Kennedy, Valerie Kilchenstein, Dylan King, Ryan Klaus, , Ryan Kopin, Aleksandra Kos, Nikita Kulick, Nicholas Lambden, Benjamin Lammers, Jessica Langweil, Rhea Lawhorn, Nicholas Leighton, Ayia Lindquist, John Locklair, Hannah Rose Lunsford, Kerry Lynch, Randy Magd, Mark Makris, Henry Maloof, Aleah Mathews, William Mayhew, Ryan McCaffrey, Jesse McElree, Morgan McKean, Katherine McMorrow, Nicole McVay, Nicholas McWhorter, Christopher Miller, Jacob Mondoro, Connor Monroe, Raelyn Moreland, Marissa Morris, Katharine Moser, Annabelle Mundon, Taylor Mungin, Joseph Natoli, Teresa Natoli, Christopher Nolker, Gregory Ogorek, Patrick O'Hara, Samantha Ojeda Urban, Lauren Page, Zachary Palmer, Abigail Parks, Ainsley Parramore, Kishan Patel, Lauren Peffers, Hayden Pellegrino, Rachael Pendleton, Brittany Pennell, Arthur Perez, Kyle Pessagno, Vanessa Pessoa, Lillie Peterson, Zachary Peterson, Marielle Pickering, , Karissa Pierce, Emily Pigott, Madeline Piper, Marissa Poliks, Steven Pollock, Linnette Prewett, Conner Prout, Julianna Raimondo, Jacob Rebstock, Conor Reinold, Kristen Reynolds, Isaac Richard, Lindsay Riley, Cameron Ripple, Dakota Robey, Kevin Rogers, Jacquelyn Rudisill, Natalie Schroeder, Emma Schwartz, Gianna Segnatelli, Philip Seidel, Eric Sieber, Brittany Simmons, Kai Smith, Nicholas Smith, Alexandra Snyder, Alicia Sondberg, John Sood, Anthony Squillari, Christina St Jean, Jacob Stanton, Matthew Steckel, Eric Stevens, Megan Stevens, Daniel Sutton, Christopher Svitak, Keaton Taliaferro, Katarina Tarabella, John Taylor, Lillian Taylor, Morgan Teletchea, Kayla Thomas, Nichole Thompson, Walter Tolliver, Casey Troxler, Alexandra Turano, Kaitlyn Turner, Nicholas Veres, Evan Vetter, Mason Voelbel, Paris Walker, Justin Walsh, , Samantha Warren, Payton Weaver, Alexandra Webber, Eric Weigt, Kathryn Wellington, Celia Whisman, Karley White, Jonathan Williams, Anna Woytko, Alexis Ziehl

*Grade 10 Principal's Honor Roll:* Matthew Anderson, Victoria Bartlett, Ryan Bergamini, Emma Berger, Katherine Berkowitz, Jakob Bevard, Kathryn Biddle, Peyton Brooks, Lea Carter, Devin Comba, Alexandra Conway, Logan Fraser, Matthew Gallatin, Madison Gore, Natalia Gorski, Joy Hoover, Cynthia LaBarge, Marlena Lewis, Grace MacMillan, Sophie Nolan, David Ossman, Caitlin Pierson, Emily Saari, Anna Sappington, Frank Schenk, Sarah Kathryn Seaberg, Maeve Story, Sara Tavakoli, Katrina Vaitkus, Amelia Williams, Elizabeth Wink, Caterina Wu, Madeline Zinkl

*Grade: 10 Honor Roll: *Katherine Adair, Douglas Ahearn, Lindsey Airth, Androniki Anastasis, Samuel Anawalt, Alex Andrade, Eric Andrade, Aaron Anthony, Maria Arellano, Sahar Asi, Shannon Au, Heather Augustine, Thomas Bach, Chase Bailey, Morgan Barkdoll, Francis Barnes, Zaryn Baroudi, Katherine Bauckman, Matthew Bauckman, David Beans, Nathan Beans, Brooke Bell, Taylor Betances, Jenna Blevins, Mackenzie Bodman, Tyler Boudreau, Savannah Boyd, Amanda Brandao, Ethan Brown, Kaitlyn Budney, Nicole Cantrell, Jordan Carter, Kobe Chaney, Ayesha Chaudhry, Nathaniel Chester, Craig Chick, Nicole Clark, Clayton Cobb, Devin Conroy, Griffin Cosgrove, , Shelby Cousin, Ryleigh Cox, Ethin Crews-Hollingsworth, Jack Crino, Stephanie Cupp, Lauren Daly, Matthew D'Amico, Danielle Davis, Kali Dawson, Christopher Day, Christina DePietro, Caroline Dering, Julia Diamond, Zachary Dickson, Annalise Dietz, Rebecca Dom, Madison Donithan, Stephen D'Onofrio, Ryan Drabick, Grant Drohat, Daniel DuBeau, Kelsey Duswalt, Sydney Ead, William Easten, Kaylin Edwards, Bethany Eisenstein, Taylar Elliott, Sarah Engel, David Escalera, Molly Fait, Courtney Fegan, Michael Fohs, Clare Foley, Cian Foran, Patrick Forbus, Alice Ford, Alexandrea France, Elizabeth Frenaye, Braden Froble, Jasmine Fuhrmann, Allison Funk, Savannah Gaines, Cassidie Gammon, Abigail Garland, Matthew Garufi, Sean Gavin, Joseph Geballa, Shawn Gibbs, Caroline Gibson, Alexandra Gilbert, Jalen Gillespie, Morgan Gingerich, , Olivia Gonzalez, Kellie Gough, Joseph Graziano, Felicia Hallworth, Mitchel Hallworth, Hailey Hardesty, David Hare, Connor Haxton, Caitlyn Hayden, Sean Healy, Montana Herndon, Steven Herrera, Alyssa Hill, Courtney Hincks, Charles Holm, Lindsay Hopkins, Joelle Huber, Samantha Hunt, Miles Hunter, Grace Inman, Rocco Jack, Faith Jackson, Christopher Jennings, Hunter Jennings, James Johnson, Alanna Joyce, Cheyenne Joyner, Nicholas Jung, Isaac Kale, Chad Kandare, Kyla Kellogg, Carley Kelly, Madison Kiessling, Kayla Kimble, Cameron King, Chandler Kirk, Bela Klimesova, Brian Kraus, Michelle Kreiner, Haley Kuffler, Stephan Kulick, Rebecca Langham, Kyle Lasher, Olivia Laurenzano, Alyssa Lawson, Valerie Leonberger, Daniel Leyendecker, Anna Lilly, Kyle LoGiudice, Megan Lynch, Tara Mahoney, Grant Maloof, , Dylan Mansur, Madison Margas, Kyle Markovic, Benjamin McClanahan, Madison McCrackin, Maija McFarland, Colin McGee, Shawn McGraw, Clare McGuire, Garrett McLendon, Nicholas Miller, Sophia Miller, Richard Milton, Serena Mohammed, Angela Moore, Evan Morris, John Murray, Maxwell Myers, Christopher Mylod, Kristian Nelson, Vinh Nguyen, Meredith Obear, Seungseo Oh, Anastasia Orlov, Charles Palandati, Rachael Palandati, Kady Palmer, Daniel Palumbo, John Patterson, Christiana Pavlick, Kaitlyn Peacock, Kasey Pearson, Britney Pieraldi, Kirk Pierce, Sandhya Piratla, Charles Place, Alyssa Pleffner, Kevin Pollock, Nicolette Powell, Jack Purcell, Thushiyaanthi Ramakrishnan, Jennifer Randall, Yessica Reyes, Kailen Richmond, Kathryn Robbins, Amanda Rocker, Abigail Rose, Cameron Ross, Zachary Rowe, Alyssa Ruleman, Rachel Sanford, Vanessa Santos, , Brennan Scheidhauer, Lacey Schenck, John Schimoler, Payton Shoemaker, Ropafadzo Shumba, Austin Shuttle, Samantha Sims, Moses Smiroldo, Jabari Smith, Keeley Smith, Nathaniel Smith, Miranda Snyder, Alyssa Solimena, Andrew Sorrells, Amanda Speciale, Sierra Spies, Justin Stacey, Bethany Stanton, Sara Stern, Jessica Streeks, Marina Sullivan, Gabrielle Sutphin, SeDona Sweeny, Brooke Szachnowicz, Emily Szachnowicz, Meghan Taschenberger, Andrew Thomas, Caroline Thompson, Travis Thorne, Alyssa Turner, Stephanie Turner, Gabrielle Ulery, Griffin Vermillion, Martin Vermillion, Reilly Wagner, Matthew Wallace, Daphne Warner, Olivia Wates, Abigail Werre, Lionel Whitcombe, Kayla White, Celine Wiggs, Ryan Williams, Samie Williams, Catherine Wilson, Morgan Wolf, Anna Wolfe, Ian Wolfe, Dylan Wood, Nicholas Woodall, Niya Young, Katherine Zafiriou, , Claire Zellin, Zi Zhou, Noah Zingler

*Grade 11 Principal's Honor Roll:* Gavin Baird, Trevor Baird, Alexander Beal, Zachary Chester, Emma Clement, Riley Figliozzi, Brian Goncalves, , Thomas Gough, Gregory Hare, Amber Hayden, Jadyn Izumi, Megan Jager, Haley Janowitz, Angelica Joya, Gill Eun Kang, Danielle LaDue, Samuel Leitess, Caroline Llareus, Andrew Magd, Kristine Mar, Sean McDonough, Caitlin Moore, Tye Muffley, Brent Musselman, Lydia Navarrete, Brendan Parlett, Joshua Peters, Rachel Pierson, Alexander Pique, Timothy Putnam, Yichen Qian, Eileen Shea, Kaitlyn Simmons, James Sorrells, Emma Stephenson, Kristin Stolzenberg, Zachary Thomas

*Grade 11 Honor Roll: *Benjamin Abbott, Casey Abend, Madison Aho, Andra Anastasi, Connor Anderson, Mason Angleberger, Brian Baldwin, George Baldwin, Katie Barnes, Tyler Barton, Evan Batten, Diamond Battle, Rachel Bergamini, Brittany Bergendahl, Christopher Bernard, Gordon Bickerstaff, Spiro Billos, Michael Biondi, Jared Bishop, Olivia Blandford, Joseph Bolivar, Olivia Borum, Alexander Bourdon, Nicole Bowcutt, Andrew Broda, Adam Bubniak, Graham Buck, Carly Bunting, Malinda Bush, Casey Cain, Connor Callahan, Kyle Canavan, Jason Carmichael, William Cave-Hawkins, Aaron Ceroy, Jeffrey Chandler, Barbara Cheakalos, Hamzah Choudhry, Tyler Coar, Hannah Coffin, Marissa Colea, Alexander Collins, Ryan Collins, Shelby Conner, Amanda Connolly, Brendan Conroy, Alexander Cooper, , Jack Cowan, Liam Cox, Brooke Coyle, Katherine Creveling, Ellana Crew, Robert Crosley, Alec Crowe, Alex Crupi, Jaime Cruz, Cassidy Cutlip, Zoe Cyphers, Sarah Dahms, Stephen D'Ambra, Paige Davis, Joseph DeVito, Carly Dickerson, Justice Dignan, Alysson Dillner, Cierra Dillon, Casey Doerr, Jacob Donaldson, William D'Onofrio, Ciaran Dorland, Madalyn Dredger, Kaileigh Ducharme, Sarah Elert, Tyler Elliott, Maryam Ermin-Sinanovic, Lindsey Eshelman, Amanda Evans, Thomas Falsone, Anthony Fidyk, Marissa Fischer, Shannon Flaherty, Jailen Forrest, Samantha Francis, Anna Fusick, Sarah Galloway, Sheridan Gardner, John Garrison, Abigail Gelinne, John Giel, Maria Gonzalez, Charles Goodman, Natalie Granger, Danielle Greco, Caitlyn Gregorio, Rachel Gregory, Trevor Gromen, Julia Grounds, Ashley Groves, Christopher Gruner, , Lauren Guzman, Kathleen Haggerty, Jasmine Hall, Peter Hanley, Kathryn Hantske, Kelsey Harman, John Haugen, Abigail Havermann, Benjamin Hayden, Lisa Haynes, Graham Hays, Matthew Hayward, Margaret Herberger, Juan Heredia, Ashleigh Hill, Zachary Hubbard, Brooke Hutchison, Claire Igoe, Molly Igoe, Kennedy Irwin, Natasa Ivkovic, Gelsey Jian, Eric Johnson, Jhalyn Johnson, Naomi Johnson, Wyatt Johnson, Andrea Jones, Paige Jones, Allison Jordan, Jessie Karnes, Ali Kay, Jada Kegan, Aubrie Kerner, Madison Koenig, Shane Kramer, Tatyana Kulick, Andrei Kuriatnikov, Michael Labs, Tyler Ladd, Christine Lamborne, Michael Landon, Amanda Latorre, Marlana Lauer, Samantha Lauer, Kimberly Lee, Anne Leishear, Zachary Litten, Connor Livingston, Brooke Long, Matthew Long, Kacie Longo, Haley Lowman, , Colleen Lynch, Salman Mahmood, Heather Manderson, Siena Manoogian, Nicholas Marcinowski, Kristin Marsh, Julia Maugeri, Emily Mayhew, Jillian Mayhew, Zachary Maynard, Samantha Mazzatenta, Theodore McClanahan, Nicole McFee, Michael McGrath, Andrew McKnight, Andrew Mergler, Lucas Michael, Marcus Milbourne, Ashley Miller, Trevor Miller, Patrick Mitchell, Rachel Moning, Ian Monroe, Shaun Moore, Hannah Morales, Victoria Mosley, Tyler Mossburg, Alexander Mueller, Robbie Najjar, Alyssa Nelson, Benjamin Nelson, Candice Nice, Sarah Norris, Noelle Nunes, Abigail Nyman, Hannah O'Brien, William O'Hara, Simone Oliver, Nathan Olson, Shaffer O'Neal, Christopher O'Neill, Emma Osborn, Nikolas Ostis, John Owens, Brooke Palemine, Hailey Palmer, Megan Parlett, Harshil Patel, Jeffrey Patterson, Danielle Peterson, Joseph Pettey, Courtney Pierce, , Nicholas Platek, Noelia Pleitez, Natalie Poknis, Megan Prass, Alexandria Preston, Logan Prevo, Jessica Quinn, Gianella Quintana, Luke Raines, Thulashini Ramakrishnan, Diana Rapine, Alexandra Redman, Kyle Reynolds, Amber Robertson, Sarah Roderick, Rebecca Rothhaas, Chase Rudisill, Patrick Russo, Jennifer Sabol, Chelsea Sabota, Christopher Sadka, Tristan Sahwell, Joseph Salamy, Emiley Sale, David Sanner, Hailey Sauer, Mackale Scheffer, Alexis Scheidhauer, Daniel Schemmel, Kristen Sears, Christopher Seidel, Nicholas Shadrick, Clayton Shamblen, Erin Shanks, Nicholas Simon, Jenna Sminkey, David Smith, James Smith, Kaitlyn Smith, Taylor Smith, Jonathan Snowden, Zoe Sparer, Duncan Squires, Angela St Jean, Despina Stephanos, Mary Katherine Sullivan, James Sumpter, Christopher Sutphin, Kerrie-Anne Sutton, Jessica Talley, Anna Taylor, Erika Taylor, , Reilly Thate, Autumn Thompson, Adam Thorne, James Thornton, Heidi Tolson, Jonathan Trappe, Christy Tull, Madalyn Ulery, Camila Velarde, Douglas Veres, Ashleigh Vining, Matthew Voeltner, Anna Wagner, Vanessa Walsh, Michael Ward, Angela Wayne, Jayson Weber, Heritage Weems, Connor Wellington, Colin White, Kelsey White, Krystal White, Katherine Wilborne, Bailey Wilson, Nicholas Wilson, Alexander Witkowski, Brett Wolf, Christian Wolf, Josette Wood, Travis Wood, Ashley Wray, Katherine Wray, Calli Yancey, Adam Young

*Grade 12 Principal's Honor Roll:* Meghan Ambrogio, Alana Anthony, Stephanie Baker, Alexandra Bartlett, Amanda Beall, Anna Biddle, Ryan Cantrell, Corinna Carter, Jolene Cobleigh, Barrett Cosgrove, Zachary Cote, Brooke Cox, Sienna Creech, Elizabeth Duswalt, Caitlyn Evans, Amelia Hallworth, Sean Heminger, Sabrina Hesse, James Hogevoll, Thomas Hutcheson, Dylan Kelly, Tyler King, Sarah Kraus, Michael Kubista, Thomas Lewis, Michael Lozano, Robert Marston, Marisa Masengale, Victoria McGee, Sarah Melanson, Skyler Nelson, Morgan O'Brien, Shelby Olender, Lauren Phibbons, Emily Roberts, Christina Robey, Michael Ross, Anthony Rossi, Luisa Silva, Lauren Smith, Jacquelyn Spalding, Emma Spicknall, Casey Thate, Elisabeth Trunnell, Valerie Ukpeh, Quentin Wagner, Kerin Webber, Jessica Weller, Christina Willingham, Kelly Yambor

*Grade 12 Honor Roll:* Geoffrey Acton, Maria Ambrogio, Christopher Anastasis, Katherine Arita, Jonathan Ashton, Grant Atchison, Michael Augustine, Justin Aumann, Brittany Bach, Kara Back, Amy Bailes, James Baker, Maison Baker, Victoria Barger, Jeremy Barnes, Monica Batterden, , Daniel Bauckman, Jonathon Bechtold, Nicholas Bedessem, Paige Berkebile, James Bieler, Matthew Blair, Robert Blakey, Breanna Bolden, Kayla Booz, Taylor Bresnahan, Emre Brock, Alicia Brown, Emily Brown, Sarah Bruce, Emily Bucknall, Marisa Bylsma, Ricardo Cabrera, Nicholas Caddenhead, Abigail Cannon, Michael Carrette, Emily Carter, Justine Ceradoy, Erica Chanaud, Amber Cheema, Benjamin Chisolm, Jayne Clark, Ariel Cook, Connor Cox, Jordan Culver, Victoria Daley, Amber Davis, Austin Davis, Darek Davis, Laura Davis, Hillory Dean, Rdrilean Dela Vega, Austin Dembeck, Elizabeth DeRycke, Kyle DeVore, Danielle DiBernardo, Gianni DiBernardo, Jennifer Dick, Karim Dilday, Pamela DiMauro, Julia Donovan, Erin Dorsey, Ronald Drescher, Christianna Ducharme, Mary Duggan, Kimberly Edwards, Alex Eichenmuller, Magdalin Ennis, , Cori Eriksen, Alexandria Ernst, Alireza Esfandiari, Alexandra Ewing, Alexander Fagan, Zoe Falk, Christopher Farrow, Alexis Ferguson, Colin Ferrigno, Gavin Fidanza, Louis Fiechtner, Kurtis Flaherty, Tyler Flemming, Jacquelyn Flippo, Daniel Fohs, Brian Foley, Michelle Forbus, Erin Ford, Shona Forsyth, Zachary Fraber, Colin Gabel, Maria Galvin, Jack Garey, Breanna Garren, Matthew Gaskins, Jake Gavin, Julia Gielen, Kaprice Gillespie, Gabrielle Giovinazzo, Jareth Gish, Rebecca Gould, Haley Gray, Hannah Graziano, Carlos Gross, Justin Halsey, Joseph Hamilton, Britni Hardesty, Zachary Harris, Carter Harrison, Savannah Hatch, Samantha Hayden, Daniel Hebb, Cailey Hegarty, Jenna Higdon, Dana High, Jason Hill, Stephen Hincks, Ryan Hirsch, Margaret Hobbins, William Hogevoll, Olivia Hokanson, Andrew Hopkins, , Amanda Horodyski, Caroline Horsch, Crystal Infante, Teodora Ivkovic, Oijah Iyesi, Jennifer Jankowski, Rebecca Jarboe, Heidi Jensen, Kai Jenstrom, April Johnson, Morgan Johnson, Forrest Joholski, Daniel Jones, Derek Jones, John Joseph, Dana Judy, Ryan Kandare, Catherine Kidney, Kate Kindig, David Kirchner, Nicole Kirkner, Ashley Koepping, Dylan Kolson, Amberly Kovalick, Adrian Kozura, Kevin Kraus, Gillian Krautman, Danielle Kreamer, Amanda Kreiner, Savannah Kutz, Carissa Kwan, Samantha Larson, Abbey Lawrence, Taylor Leavy, Jun Lee, Tyler Lee, Anthony Lenox, Jordan Leonard, Kristina Leone, Anna Levendusky, Joshua Lobo, Daniel Lozano, Jacob Lucente, Niles Magowitz, Hasnain Mahmood, Natalie Manning, Nicholas Marcellino, Carter Martin, George Masgay, Matthew McConnell, John McDonald, Colin McGrath, , David McKeever, Tiffany McKinney, John McMullen, Kyle McNab, Megan Meade, Rachel Meinhold, Andrew Mendez, Kayla Messinese, Daniel Miller, Justin Miller, Adair Minihan, Danielle Minor, Alexander Molster, Rachel Monias, Kailey Morarin, Hunter Mulvaney, Khari Murphy, Margaret Murray, Abigail Myers, Kylie Myles, Nicholas Nadeau, Samantha Nash, Lucas Nelson, Taylor Newsome, Mark Newton, Brandon Nguyen, Loi Nguyen, John Nolting, Kenneth Nosacek, SunKyo Oh, Matthew Outten, Brianna Page, Brenna Palmer, Gregory Palmer, Ann Parangot, John Parks, Emily Partner, Toral Patel, Cody Pearl, Curtis Pendleton, Catherine Perez, Anna Perry, Kaitlyn Pessagno, Jacob Peters, Jack Peterson, Rebekah Petty, Tarah Piccirilli, Austin Piekarski, Robert Pierpont, Jean-Claude Pineau, Kassandra Pleffner Schaefer, Hannah Polster, , Darian Potichny, Bakari Powell, Matthew Prass, Marissa Price, Isabella Pyne, Devin Quick, Justin Quick, Brady Radcliffe, John Randolph, Cody Rawlings, Lucas Razanauskas, Brittany Rees, Thomas Reiber, Kyle Reichard, Maria Ricker, Lindsey Robinson, Nicole Rohrer, Christopher Roman, Brianna Ruleman, Adam Russell, Jason Russell, Brooke Sale, Courtney Schneider, Jaylen Schulte, Michael Seaberg, Ashley Seborowski, Mackenzie Seeger, Gabriel Segnatelli, Lauren Seidleck, Sierra Sellars, Shannon Sendaydiego, Diksha Sharma, Katherine Sherrick, Kelsey Shifflett, Bridget Simmons, Kiana Simons, Charles Smith, Kayla Snyder, Joseph Stanton, Thomas Stefany, Hannah Stevens, Lauren Stevens, Dannie Stith, Zackary Stolzenberg, Davis Strench, Zachary Stubblefield, Eva Sweeney, Khalipha Thomas, Mary Townshend, Jasmine Trumbull, Tremayne Tucker, Rebecca Turetsky, , Pierce Tyrrell, Daniela Valverde, Alexandra Vance, Gabriel Vertucci, Julia Walker, Ryan Walker, Alex Watson, Megan Weaver, Victoria Webber, Emily Weber, Kelsey Weinman, Caitlin Weller, Christine Wertz, Ariel Williams, Aiden Witt, Yong Seong Won, Katherine Woods, Austin Wright, Eric Young, Benjamin Zahorec, Mackenzie Zipfel Reported by Patch 14 hours ago.

As of late, I've spotted a barrage of highly coveted Hermès Birkins on the streets of Miami to New York to Paris. And seeing as Birkins are extremely difficult to procure and are in high demand, well, let's just say it's hard to believe they're all real. With knockoffs aplenty (and trust me, I've been asked to buy a fakey or two in my day) I'm adamantly opposed to buying fake anythings.

Why? According to Miami's own Consign of the Times owner/self professed "Bag Lady" Carin Kirby, she says:

When you buy a fake, you're basically pooing on generations of expert craftsmanship and design. You're also sacrificing quality and longevity. But most importantly -- and what most counterfeit buyers forget or choose to ignore -- you may be funding things like child labor, terrorism, unsafe work conditions, hazardous materials, drug crimes and human trafficking. Not. Cool.

As a Fashion Editor, the great fashion knockoff debate has always piqued my interest. Which invariably begs the question: What qualities make the iconic Birkin the real deal Holyfield? I chat up Kirby on the heated topic and with 12 years of consignment business under belt -- she knows a thing or two about the knockoff industry and what makes the classic Birkin the so special.

*Maria Tettamanti:* I don't support the knockoff industry (ew!) but how much does a faux Birkin cost?
*Carin Kirby:* We have seen and heard of people paying upwards of $5,000 for a known fake. Absurd... we know.

*MT: *Where are fauxs manufactured?
*CK:* Most people would assume China, and they wouldn't be wrong. But some high quality copies have also been snatched up recently coming in from Brazil and even Italy!

*MT: * Have people tried to sell faux Birkins to you?
*CK:*Unfortunately, yes they've tried. But no Birkin makes it to our floor without being professionally authenticated.

*MT: *Can one profit from re-selling an authentic Birkin?
*CK:* Absolutely. These bags are in high demand and very hard to get, especially if you are particular about what you want. The stories you've heard about people waiting months and even years are true. Most of us are not willing to wait, so Birkins are priced at a premium in the secondary market (resale world) because people will pay for instant satisfaction.

*MT: *Birkins aside, what other handbags hold their value?
*CK:* The Chanel Classics and any Louis Vuitton Limited Edition bags like the Stephen Sprouse or Yayoi Kusama. There is a caveat: A bag's condition determines what someone is willing to pay for it -- so take good care of your stuff!

*MT: *Now for the good stuff -- what are the tell-tale signs a Birkin is the real deal:
*CK:* When it comes to a Birkin, authenticity is always in the details.

1. Stitching: All of them are created in the Hermès workshop and hand stitched by expert craftsmen which means it should be perfect. No stitch will ever (EVER) be out of place.

2. Lock & Keys: The lock will have "Hermes" and a numbered code engraved on the bottom, and the two keys will have the matching code engraved as well.

3. Embossing: Open up the flaps of the Birkin and you will find an embossed letter that identifies the year of production. When buying pre-owned, make sure the age marker makes sense for the wear and tear of the bag! You may also find another short number/letter embossment (2-3 characters) on the flap or within the interior of the bag which identifies the craftsman that produced it.

4. Logo Stamp: It will read "Hermès Paris Made In France" in all caps with a left leaning accent over the second "e" in Hermès. Check for misspellings and smudging, which are indicators that bag is a fake.

5. Zipper Pull: It will sit parallel to the zipper. Any hanging of the interior zipper will indicate it is NOT Hermès quality.

6. Hardware: All Hermès hardware is made out of either Gold plated or Palladium. Tarnishing is very rare.

*MT: *More, please! What are some other ways to spot a fake?

*CK:*
1) Hermès uses the highest quality leathers. The leather is heavy and structured but soft and supple. If it smells fake, it probably is.

2) No Birkin will ever come with plastic wrapped around handles. The workshop would never do something so tacky.

3) Hermès does not use authenticity cards like Chanel, Prada or Christian Dior. Ding ding ding! It's a fake.

4) Dust bags will always have a brown drawstring and stamp.

5) There will never be anything out of place, including a stitch or a tiny piece of clumsily placed glue. Any discrepancy and the bag will not pass quality control -- TRUST me on this! Reported by Huffington Post 16 hours ago.

"Wow, the emotions are swirling!" writes Maria Shriver in a blog post. On Facebook and Twitter, Shriver shared a photo of herself with daughter Christina, with the note: "The festivities begin. Getting ready for @CSchwarzenegger's senior convocation where alumni parents get to robe up." Reported by azcentral.com 11 hours ago.

TFC Presents scores back-to-back event winners with Sir Chief, Maya and the gang in U.S. tour

Redwood City, CA (PRWEB) May 16, 2013

Social media was crawling with photos and comments the past weekend following the back-to-back concerts of the Philippines’ number one daytime show, “Be Careful With My Heart”, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California last Friday and at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida on Mothers’ Day.

“Super saya talaga! 3 hours akong tumatawa (It was super fun! I was laughing for three hours),” posted Nelly Sugabo on Facebook.

“It was one of the best Filipino concerts I’ve been to. It was really ka-familia,” echoes Lorna G. Torres.

Event-filled May 10 had the defending Stanley Cup champions Los Angeles Kings going up against St. Louis Blues for Game 6 of their nail-biting Western Conference Quarterfinals series at the famed Staples Center. Award-winning film director Baz Luhrmann’s much publicized, lavish Jazz Age drama “The Great Gatsby” starring superstar Leonardo DiCaprio also opened on the same day. But the City of Los Angeles declared May 10 as “ABS-CBN TFC Be Careful With My Heart Kapit Bisig Day” via a Proclamation signed by no less than Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the entire City Council.

The Proclamation was presented by Mayor Pro-Tem of Walnut, California Antonio Cartagena, Filipino-American Service Group, Inc. Executive Director Susan Dilkes, and Philippine Consul General Maria Hellen Barber De La Vega of Los Angeles to Be Careful With My Heart Business Unit Head Ginny Ocampo, ABS-CBN Head of Ad Sales, Trade Marketing & Events Ricky Resurreccion and ABS-CBN North America Managing Director Olivia De Jesus. It honored the commitment of ABS-CBN, TFC and the show to promote Filipino participation in the recently held Philippine elections and the May 21 municipal election in Los Angeles County. Consul General Barber De La Vega praised the Philippine government partnership with TFC by saying that voter registration for overseas absentee voting increased five-fold as a result of TFC support.

The fans trooped to the landmark Shrine Auditorium and filled it to the rafters, making the concert among the most attended events in the venue. On Mothers’ Day, May 12, Florida fans of the show also came in full force to the Silver Spurs Arena to profess their love for Sir Chief, Maya, Abby, Tart, Sabel – beloved characters of the popular TFC teleserye – with world-class singing champions Yeng Constantino and Jovit Baldivino.

Feel Good, Family-friendly Fun
Both concerts – the U.S. leg of an ongoing world tour of the show that already took them to the Middle East and will take them to Canada next – played on the strengths of the top-rating teleserye: it highlighted segments that were light, breezy, feel-good, wholesome (with an acceptable dose of impish humor) and generally upbeat. Stage Director John-D Lazatin and Musical Director Lorrie Ilustre mixed high-energy musical dance numbers with light romantic songs, acting contests, laugh-a-minute dating games that involved the audience, and showstoppers from Constantino and Baldivino.

Rosario “Tart” Carlos (Doris) and Vivieka Vivieka (Sabel) displayed their comic genius and onstage chemistry with their Madonna-Lady Gaga song-and-dance-off layered with a trade of witty barbs and retorts delivered with perfect comic timing. The two comediennes also backed up Jodi Sta Maria (Maya) in the “Be Careful With Your Acting” portion that brought the house down with three gentlemen participants from the audience reenacting a favorite scene between Sir Chief and Maya.

Sta Maria was a beautiful vision on stage, elegant, poised and charming, drawing admiring stares and public declarations of “I love you, Maya” from the audience as she serenaded the crowd with songs like Kaba and Torete from the show’s gold-selling soundtrack.

Mutya Orquia (Abby) had a cute exchange with TFC Barangay USA’s Gelo before doing an even cuter Call Me Maybe number with Carlos, Vivieka and the dancers.

The decision to intersperse musical segments with video clips from the show that took the audience to a journey of love of Sir Chief and Maya was wise, eliciting swoons and excited screams and shouts from the crowd.

The ear-shattering shrieks, as expected, were reserved for the touring cast’s central male figure, Richard Yap (Sir Chief). As soon as he sang the opening lines of This Thing Called Love, camera flashes flooded both venues as fans tried to capture frame-by-frame the Philippines’ phenomenally popular 40-something matinee idol.

The dating games with Yap concluded with passionate hugs and kisses for him from the chosen candidates to the delight (and perhaps a tinge of envy) from fans in the audience.

Shrieks reached record decibels anew when Yap and Sta Maria performed their much awaited duets, showcasing their indubitable chemistry as one of the country’s top love teams.

The party atmosphere in the house was at its peak when the entire cast did an OPM disco medley for its finale. By this time, the entire audience was on its feet, applauding, cheering, singing along and snapping photo mementos to capture historic moments of the U.S. visit of their most beloved family teleserye from TFC.

“We wanted to deliver the quality entertainment experience that people have come to expect from TFC and we are overjoyed by the positive comments that validated our intention,” said Resurreccion. “We want to thank everyone who supported the event – the cast and crew, our partners and sponsors, the media, the fans, our government officials, and the entire Filipino community for making all these happen.”

“These successful back-to-back concerts mark the beginning of a TFC events season in 2013 that promises only the best for our valued customers all over North America,” said De Jesus.

For more information on the “Be Careful with My Heart” U.S. concerts, please visit tfc-usa.com/events or visit and like TFCUSOfficial fan page on Facebook.

About ABS-CBN International
ABS-CBN International was created over 15 years ago to be of service to all Filipinos. With the launch of The Filipino Channel (TFC), the company became the first and most successful Filipino content distribution company in the U.S. The company offers telecommunication, retail, theatricals, money remittance and cargo services, online audio and video streaming, IPTV, On Demand, along with philanthropic support for Filipinos and the communities they now call home. Based in Redwood City, CA, ABS-CBN International is a subsidiary of ABS-CBN Corporation, the Philippines’ largest entertainment and broadcasting company, through ABS-CBN Corporation's wholly-owned subsidiary, ABS-CBN Global Hungary Kft. For more information, visit http://www.abs-cbnglobal.com. Reported by PRWeb 7 hours ago.

Venezuelans scrambled to stock up on toilet paper Thursday as fears of a bathroom emergency spread despite the socialist government’s promise to import 50 million rolls.

After years of economic dysfunction, the country has gotten used to shortages of medicines and basic food items like milk and sugar but the scarcity of bathroom tissue has caused unusual alarm.

“Even at my age, I’ve never seen this,” said 70-year-old Maria Rojas. She said she had been looking for toilet paper for two weeks when she finally found it at a supermarket in downtown Caracas. Reported by S.China Morning Post 6 hours ago.

Bearish sentiment toward gold has prices for the yellow metal tumbling again.

On Wednesday, George Soros revealed through a regulatory filing that he cut his gold exposure during the first quarter.

In a new note to clients, Credit Suisse's Ric Deverall forecasted that gold would plunge to $1,100 this year and eventually to $1,000 within five years.  This according to Bloomberg's Maria Kolesnikova.

More from Kolesnikova:

“Gold is going to get crushed,” Deverell told reporters in London today. “The need to buy gold for wealth preservation fell down and the probability of inflation on a one- to three-year horizon is significantly diminished.”
...
“When gold is going up, it looks like a great idea to buy more gold,” Deverell said. “And when it’s going down, do you really think risk-averse central bankers are going to try and catch the knife? No.”

Deverell was responding to the latest stats on central bank gold reserves.  According to a new report from the World Gold Council, these banks bought around 109 tonnes of gold in the first quarter, marking the seventh straight quarter of net purchases.

*SEE ALSO: Why Gold And Apple Are Tanking At Exactly The Same Time >*

Please follow Money Game on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

 
 
 
  Reported by Business Insider 4 hours ago.

This is Gloucestershire --

TERRIFIED women were raped and beaten by violent Paul Lewis, a court heard.

The 32-year-old, of Bristol Road in Gloucester, forced the women to have threesomes with each other and even another man.

He was found guilty of three rapes, four counts of causing a person to engage in sexual activity and five charges of causing actual bodily harm.

During a two week trial, Gloucester Crown Court heard Lewis was controlling and violent towards his three victims.

The women from Bristol and Gloucester, all aged under 35, said they were punched, kicked and threatened by Lewis if they did not do what he wanted.

The court heard they were frightened into having threesomes with each other and in one case, another man, and Lewis used his power to control them and cause the women to fear him.

Prosecutor William Moorehouse told the court at least one of the women had worked as a prostitute – but stressed that they should be given the protection of the law.

He said: "If a woman is terrified of the consequences of not going along with what he wants, then her consent cannot be given.

"We say the women did not have the freedom and capacity to make that choice.

"I don't pretend to present any of these women as Maria from the Sound of Music, but these women are fragile, damaged and vulnerable.

"How they have conducted themselves does not mean they should be disenfranchised from the criminal justice system and despite their pasts you can believe what they say."

Lewis claimed the women came together in a bid to conspire against him and made up the allegations.

He was found not guilty of one count of rape, one of causing actual bodily harm and another of causing a person to engage in sexual activity.

A further charge of actual bodily harm was withdrawn by the prosecution.

Further allegations of kidnapping, actual bodily harm and raping a fourth victim will remain on file, as will an attempted robbery.

A charge of kidnapping in connection with the case against Mark Long, 43, from Shakespeare Avenue, has also been ordered to lie of file.

Lewis has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court on June 21. Reported by This is 3 hours ago.

This is Gloucestershire --

A FLOTILLA of historic ships will sail into Gloucester Docks next Friday for the fourth Tall Ships Festival.

Crowds will line the jetties to watch the majestic vessels pass through Llanthony Bridge and moor up in the main basin.

While there will be plenty going on during the bank holiday weekend event, the stars of the show will be the ships and the stories they tell.

Two of the boats have links to Tommi Neilson's Gloucester-based dockyard, including the Massey Shaw, a fire ship that fought fires in the Blitz and Dunkirk.

Mhairi Smith, of Marketing Gloucester, said: "She has been in Neilson's being renovated for months and we are really thrilled that she is staying here for the festival.

"Once it's over, she is sailing back to London and will remain on the Thames as a tourist attraction from then on. It's a big thing to have her at our event because she isn't going to be appearing at other shows and is going to attract all kinds of boat enthusiasts."

The Hereford Bull, which will also be there, was built by Tommi and his team for the mayor of Hereford to be part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Pageant last year.

Other historic boats include a replica of the Matthew was built in 1997 for the 500th anniversary of John Cabot's voyage of discovery to North America in 1497.

The Phoenix has appeared in several film and TV productions, including starring as Christopher Columbus's flagship Santa Maria in Ridley Scott's 1492: Conquest of Paradise.

Visitors will be able to go on board both these ships during the festival.

Six other ships, including the steam yacht Amazon, the replica Royal Navy cutter The Blue launch and replica Viking boat The Bear, all took part in last year's Diamond Jubilee Thames river pageant.

The tall ships will approach Gloucester Docks next Friday between noon and 1pm and Llanthony and High Orchard bridges will both be raised to allow them through.

More than 80,000 people visited the biannual event two years ago and this year there will be plenty of family events for them, including a living history activity involving the swashbuckling Captain Jack and his pirate crew.

Just a short walk away at Llanthony Secunda Priory there will be the nautically-themed Gloucester Stone Carving Festival.

Entrance to the event is free but wristbands allowing visitors to go on board the ships cost £5. Reported by This is 3 hours ago.

Maria Mutola, the 2000 Olympics 800m gold medallist, three-time 800m World champion and seven-time 800m Indoor World champion, says self-belief and a sound coaching programme are the keys to success. Reported by IndiaVision 3 hours ago.

Patch Forest Hills-Regent Square, PA --

Nine candidates are vying for seats on the Woodland Hills School District Board of Education during the May 21 primary election, while two candidates from Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS)' District 1 are looking for spots on the PPS Board of Directors.

District 1 includes Pittsburgh's Regent Square neighborhood, while Woodland Hills includes Forest Hills Borough, Edgewood Borough and Swissvale Borough, among other municipalities.

The names of the candidates are listed below, and Patch wants to know: Who are you voting for? And why?

Tell your neighbors in the comments section below who the most qualified people are.

*Woodland Hills School District*

*School director at large, one four-year term*—Incumbents Colleen Filiak and Fred Kuhn as well as Jon Coulter, Michael Belmonte and Maria Athens have cross-filed as Republicans and Democrats. Gisele Fetterman and incumbent Jeff Hanchett will be on the Democratic ballot.

*School director at large, one two-year term*—Incumbent Fred Kuhn has cross-filed. Gisele Fetterman and incumbent Jeff Hanchett will be on the Democratic ballot.

*Region 1 school director, one four-year term*—Incumbent Tara Reis has cross-filed. 

*Region 2 school director, one four-year term*—Jon Coulter and incumbent Fred Kuhn have cross-filed. Gisele Fetterman and incumbents Jeff Hanchett and Robert Clanagan are on the Democratic ballot.

*Region 2 school director, one two-year term*—Incumbent Fred Kuhn has cross-filed. Incumbent Jeff Hanchett is on the Democratic ballot.  

*Region 3 school director, one four-year term*—Michael Belmonte and incumbent Colleen Filiak have cross-filed.



*Pittsburgh Public Schools*

*District 1 school director (covering Regent Square)*—Sylvia Wilson has cross-filed. Lucille Prater-Holliday is on the Democratic ballot.

--------------------

*Join Patch for more community news or join us on Facebook and Twitter.*

-------------------- Reported by Patch 1 hour ago.

Defence secretary wades into row over plans to legalise gay marriage, saying the issue is a waste of parliamentary time

Cabinet fury with David Cameron over gay marriage has been blown into the open after the defence secretary, Philip Hammond, criticised Downing Street for wasting parliamentary time on the issue and angering vast numbers of people.

As the government moved to smooth the passage of the bill by delaying attempts to extend civil partnerships to heterosexual couples, Hammond said there was no huge demand for same-sex marriage.

Speaking on the BBC's Question Time on Thursday evening, he said: "This change does redefine marriage. For millions and millions of people who are married, the meaning of marriage changes. There is a real sense of anger among many people who are married that any government thinks it has the ability to change the definition of an institution like marriage."

Hammond said the introduction of civil partnerships in 2005 had addressed the very real disadvantage gay couples had faced. But he said of No 10's attempts to introduce equal marriage: "I have just never felt that this is what we should be focusing on … There was no huge demand for this and we didn't need to spend a lot of parliamentary time and upset vast numbers of people in order to do this."

The intervention by Hammond does not represent a breach of collective responsibility, in which ministers are bound by decisions taken by the cabinet, because MPs have been given a free vote on the bill. But the equal marriage bill has a different status to other free votes, such as abortion, because it has been introduced by Cameron to try to highlight the Tories' modernising credentials.

The defence secretary spoke out as the coalition was accused of spoiling tactics after it responded to a call for heterosexual couples to be granted the same rights to enter into civil partnerships by announcing plans for a review that would be delayed for five years once the legislation is passed. The review could mean that civil partnerships are extended to all couples – or scrapped altogether.

The prime minister, who is bracing himself for another bumpy week after the "rebellion" over an EU referendum, has issued instructions to ministers to avoid any pitfalls next week.

The government stepped in amid fears that an amendment designed to give straight couples the right to civil partnerships, planned by Tim Loughton, the former children's minister, and two other Tory MPs, could disrupt the equal marriage bill, which is opposed by many Conservatives. Loughton, an opponent of gay marriage, denied he was trying to disrupt the bill.

Gay rights activist Peter Tatchell criticised No 10's move. He told Gay Star News: "The government's decision to oppose the legalisation of civil partnerships for heterosexual couples is hugely disappointing. It is a sad betrayal of the principle of equality. I hope a majority of MPs will rebel and next week vote for the parliamentary amendment to open up civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples."

Chris Bryant, the shadow home office minister, tweeted: "I hear govt policy on civil partnerships for opposite sex couples is collapsing."

The Loughton amendment fell into this category. Loughton is an unlikely political partner of Tatchell because he voted against the second reading of the equal marriage bill.

A government spokesman said: "Civil partnerships were created for a very specific reason – to give same-sex couples access to legal rights at a time when society was not ready to give them access to marriage. Now that the time is right to extend marriage to same-sex couples, it is also right we should consider the future of civil partnerships.

"There are strong views on both sides of this debate, and we have listened to those views. A proper review will allow us to look at the issues in a considered and thorough way, giving full consideration to implications of any changes."

Earlier this week, the culture secretary, Maria Miller, resisted calls for civil partnerships to be extended to heterosexual couples, expressing concern that to include the issue in the legislation would lead to a significant delay in its implementation, and could incur considerable costs.

In a statement, Miller said: "The equal marriage bill is about extending marriage to same-sex couples. Questions have been raised about whether we should also extend civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples. We are therefore offering the house the opportunity to have a review of this area, rather than legislating now without the required evidence."

Miller, questioned by the joint human rights committee on Tuesday, appeared clear that extending civil partnerships was not a preferred option. "We don't feel there is either a necessity or a requirement to open up civil partnerships to heterosexuals because there is no deficit there – there is no lack of an ability to be able to formalise a relationship in a legal way," she said then. "It is already there for heterosexual couples. It's called marriage."

Asked about people who might not wish to marry because of their beliefs, including those who saw marriage as oppressive to women and born out of a patriarchal system, she told the committee she did not see why it would oppress women any more than men. "Having been married for 23 years, I don't feel oppressed myself, but I can understand that people will have different views," she said.

Miller had acknowledged that the abolition of civil partnerships would discriminate against same-sex couples who for certain reasons, including religion, did not wish to marry.

Any review would take place after same-sex marriages have had a chance to become established. A period of five years is suggested so the effect of extending marriage to same-sex couples can be assessed and the government can ensure it has a proper understanding of the implications of various options.

Church of England representatives claimed some amendments tabled to the gay marriage bill risked opening the door to pagan, humanist and other forms of marriage. Sir Tony Baldry, representing the church estate commissioners, said the proposal would completely change the legal basis for marriage in England. He added that MPs would have to take a view "as to whether having heterosexual civil partnerships is or is not going to enhance the concept of marriage".

Tatchell said: "David Cameron and Maria Miller should stop delaying and making excuses. They say their support for gay marriage is based on a commitment to equality, yet they are refusing to support equal civil partnerships for heterosexual couples. They're not being consistent." Reported by guardian.co.uk 50 minutes ago.

Defence secretary wades into row over plans to legalise gay marriage, saying the issue is a waste of parliamentary time

Cabinet fury with David Cameron over gay marriage has been blown into the open after Philip Hammond criticised Downing Street for wasting parliamentary time on the issue and angering vast numbers of people.

As the government moved to smooth the passage of the bill, by delaying attempts to extend civil partnerships to heterosexual couples, Hammond said there was no huge demand for same-sex marriage.

Speaking on the BBC's Question Time on Thursday evening, the defence secretary said: "This change does redefine marriage. For millions and millions of people who are married, the meaning of marriage changes. There is a real sense of anger among many people who are married that any government thinks it has the ability to change the definition of an institution like marriage."

Hammond said the introduction of civil partnerships in 2005 had addressed the very real disadvantage gay couples had faced. But he said of No 10's attempts to introduce equal marriage: "I have just never felt that this is what we should be focusing on …There was no huge demand for this and we didn't need to spend a lot of parliamentary time and upset vast numbers of people in order to do this."

The intervention by Hammond does not represent a breach of collective responsibility, in which ministers are bound by decisions taken by the cabinet, because MPs have been given a free vote on the bill. But the equal marriage bill has a different status to other free votes, such as abortion, because it has been introduced by Cameron to try and highlight the Tories' modernising credentials.

The defence secretary spoke out as the coalition was accused of spoiling tactics after it responded to a call for heterosexual couples to be granted the same rights to enter into civil partnerships by announcing plans for a review that would be delayed for five years once the legislation is passed. The review could mean that civil partnerships are extended to all couples – or scrapped altogether.

The prime minister, who is bracing himself for another bumpy week after the "rebellion" over an EU referendum, has issued instructions to ministers to avoid any pitfalls next week.

The government stepped in amid fears that an amendment designed to give straight couples the right to civil partnerships, planned by Tim Loughton, the former children's minister, and two other Tory MPs, could disrupt the equal marriage bill, which is opposed by many Conservatives. Loughton, an opponent of gay marriage, denied that he was trying to disrupt the bill.

Peter Tatchell criticised No 10's move. The gay rights activist told Gay Star News: "The government's decision to oppose the legalisation of civil partnerships for heterosexual couples is hugely disappointing. It is a sad betrayal of the principle of equality. I hope a majority of MPs will rebel and next week vote for the parliamentary amendment to open up civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples."

Chris Bryant, the shadow home office minister, tweeted: "I hear govt policy on civil partnerships for opposite sex couples is collapsing."

The Loughton amendment fell into this category. Loughton is an unlikely political partner of Tatchell because he voted against the second reading of the equal marriage bill.

A government spokesman said: "Civil partnerships were created for a very specific reason – to give same-sex couples access to legal rights at a time when society was not ready to give them access to marriage. Now that the time is right to extend marriage to same-sex couples, it is also right we should consider the future of civil partnerships.

"There are strong views on both sides of this debate, and we have listened to those views. A proper review will allow us to look at the issues in a considered and thorough way, giving full consideration to implications of any changes."

Earlier this week the culture secretary, Maria Miller, resisted calls for civil partnerships to be extended to heterosexual couples, expressing concern that to include the issue in the legislation would lead to a significant delay in its implementation, and could incur considerable costs.

In a statement, Miller She said: "The equal marriage bill is about extending marriage to same-sex couples. Questions have been raised about whether we should also extend civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples. We are therefore offering the house the opportunity to have a review of this area, rather than legislating now without the required evidence."

Miller, questioned by the joint human rights committee on Tuesday, appeared clear that extending civil partnerships was not a preferred option. "We don't feel there is either a necessity or a requirement to open up civil partnerships to heterosexuals because there is no deficit there – there is no lack of an ability to be able to formalise a relationship in a legal way," she said then. "It is already there for heterosexual couples. It's called marriage."

Asked about people who might not wish to marry because of their beliefs, including those who saw marriage as oppressive to women and born out of a patriarchal system, she told the committee she did not see why it would oppress women any more than men. "Having been married for 23 years, I don't feel oppressed myself, but I can understand that people will have different views," she said.

Miller had acknowledged that the abolition of civil partnerships would discriminate against same-sex couples who for certain reasons, including religion, did not wish to marry.

Any review would take place after same-sex marriages have had a chance to become established. A period of five years is suggested so the effect of extending marriage to same-sex couples can be assessed and the government can ensure it has a proper understanding of the implications of various options.

Church of England representatives claimed some amendments tabled to the gay marriage bill risked opening the door to pagan, humanist and other forms of marriage. Sir Tony Baldry, representing the church estate commissioners, said the proposal would completely change the legal basis for marriage in England. He added that MPs would have to take a view "as to whether having heterosexual civil partnerships is or is not going to enhance the concept of marriage".

Tatchell said: "David Cameron and Maria Miller should stop delaying and making excuses. They say their support for gay marriage is based on a commitment to equality, yet they are refusing to support equal civil partnerships for heterosexual couples. They're not being consistent." Reported by guardian.co.uk 1 hour ago.

Defence secretary wades into row over plans to legalise gay marriage, saying the issue is a waste of parliamentary time

Cabinet fury with David Cameron over gay marriage has been blown into the open after the defence secretary, Philip Hammond, criticised Downing Street for wasting parliamentary time on the issue and angering vast numbers of people.

As the government moved to smooth the passage of the bill by delaying attempts to extend civil partnerships to heterosexual couples, Hammond said there was no huge demand for same-sex marriage.

Speaking on the BBC's Question Time on Thursday evening, he said: "This change does redefine marriage. For millions and millions of people who are married, the meaning of marriage changes. There is a real sense of anger among many people who are married that any government thinks it has the ability to change the definition of an institution like marriage."

Hammond said the introduction of civil partnerships in 2005 had addressed the very real disadvantage gay couples had faced. But he said of No 10's attempts to introduce equal marriage: "I have just never felt that this is what we should be focusing on … There was no huge demand for this and we didn't need to spend a lot of parliamentary time and upset vast numbers of people in order to do this."

The intervention by Hammond does not represent a breach of collective responsibility, in which ministers are bound by decisions taken by the cabinet, because MPs have been given a free vote on the bill. But the equal marriage bill has a different status to other free votes, such as abortion, because it has been introduced by Cameron to try to highlight the Tories' modernising credentials.

The defence secretary spoke out as the coalition was accused of spoiling tactics after it responded to a call for heterosexual couples to be granted the same rights to enter into civil partnerships by announcing plans for a review that would be delayed for five years once the legislation is passed. The review could mean that civil partnerships are extended to all couples – or scrapped altogether.

The prime minister, who is bracing himself for another bumpy week after the "rebellion" over an EU referendum, has issued instructions to ministers to avoid any pitfalls next week.

The government stepped in amid fears that an amendment designed to give straight couples the right to civil partnerships, planned by Tim Loughton, the former children's minister, and two other Tory MPs, could disrupt the equal marriage bill, which is opposed by many Conservatives. Loughton, an opponent of gay marriage, denied he was trying to disrupt the bill.

Gay rights activist Peter Tatchell criticised No 10's move. He told Gay Star News: "The government's decision to oppose the legalisation of civil partnerships for heterosexual couples is hugely disappointing. It is a sad betrayal of the principle of equality. I hope a majority of MPs will rebel and next week vote for the parliamentary amendment to open up civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples."

Chris Bryant, the shadow home office minister, tweeted: "I hear govt policy on civil partnerships for opposite sex couples is collapsing."

The Loughton amendment fell into this category. Loughton is an unlikely political partner of Tatchell because he voted against the second reading of the equal marriage bill.

A government spokesman said: "Civil partnerships were created for a very specific reason – to give same-sex couples access to legal rights at a time when society was not ready to give them access to marriage. Now that the time is right to extend marriage to same-sex couples, it is also right we should consider the future of civil partnerships.

"There are strong views on both sides of this debate, and we have listened to those views. A proper review will allow us to look at the issues in a considered and thorough way, giving full consideration to implications of any changes."

Earlier this week, the culture secretary, Maria Miller, resisted calls for civil partnerships to be extended to heterosexual couples, expressing concern that to include the issue in the legislation would lead to a significant delay in its implementation, and could incur considerable costs.

In a statement, Miller said: "The equal marriage bill is about extending marriage to same-sex couples. Questions have been raised about whether we should also extend civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples. We are therefore offering the house the opportunity to have a review of this area, rather than legislating now without the required evidence."

Miller, questioned by the joint human rights committee on Tuesday, appeared clear that extending civil partnerships was not a preferred option. "We don't feel there is either a necessity or a requirement to open up civil partnerships to heterosexuals because there is no deficit there – there is no lack of an ability to be able to formalise a relationship in a legal way," she said then. "It is already there for heterosexual couples. It's called marriage."

Asked about people who might not wish to marry because of their beliefs, including those who saw marriage as oppressive to women and born out of a patriarchal system, she told the committee she did not see why it would oppress women any more than men. "Having been married for 23 years, I don't feel oppressed myself, but I can understand that people will have different views," she said.

Miller had acknowledged that the abolition of civil partnerships would discriminate against same-sex couples who for certain reasons, including religion, did not wish to marry.

Any review would take place after same-sex marriages have had a chance to become established. A period of five years is suggested so the effect of extending marriage to same-sex couples can be assessed and the government can ensure it has a proper understanding of the implications of various options.

Church of England representatives claimed some amendments tabled to the gay marriage bill risked opening the door to pagan, humanist and other forms of marriage. Sir Tony Baldry, representing the church estate commissioners, said the proposal would completely change the legal basis for marriage in England. He added that MPs would have to take a view "as to whether having heterosexual civil partnerships is or is not going to enhance the concept of marriage".

Tatchell said: "David Cameron and Maria Miller should stop delaying and making excuses. They say their support for gay marriage is based on a commitment to equality, yet they are refusing to support equal civil partnerships for heterosexual couples. They're not being consistent." Reported by guardian.co.uk 23 minutes ago.

Patch Cranston, RI --

Salvatore Mattera, 89, of Upton, MA, formerly of Rhode Island St., Cranston, RI, passed away on Thursday, May 16, 2013 at Beaumont Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Northbridge, MA.

He was the husband of the late Elena (Gelardi) Mattera.  Born in Providence, RI, he was the son of the late Antonio and Pasqualina (Imbagliazzo) Mattera.

Mr. Mattera was a machinist in the plumbing components industry and was a WWII U.S. Navy veteran. He enjoyed quahogging in Jamestown and spending time with his extended family where he was often seen displaying his excellent culinary skills.

He was the devoted father of Antonio Mattera of Berkeley, CA, Alan T. Mattera of Cranston and Glen P. Mattera and his wife Maryann of Upton, MA; loving grandfather of Alicia M. Mattera of Oakland, CA; and dear brother of Maria Mattera of Glendora, CA and the late Fortunata Notarianni and Jennie Celani.

Funeral from the NARDOLILLO FUNERAL HOME & Crematory, 1278 Park Ave., Cranston on Tuesday, May 21^st at 9 a.m., followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Mary’s Church, 1525 Cranston St., Cranston at 10 a.m.  Interment with military honors will be at St. Ann Cemetery, Cranston.

VISITING HOURS are Monday, May 20^th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions for the benefit of memory disorder research may be made to: Mass General Hospital Development Office, Attn: Shawn Fitzgibbons, 165 Cambridge St. – Suite 600, Boston, MA 02114. Reported by Patch 30 minutes ago.